1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? Country folkways The optimistic view that God will save humanity The difficulties of life Disillusionment 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Current day South England Hardy's fictional literary landscape Hardy's town of origin Ancient Southwestern England 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1879 1898 1912 1900 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? Philip Larkin W.H. Auden George Eliot Robert Frost 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature The speaker's preference for a muted palette The speaker's true sense of passivity The neutral imagery and mood in the poem 6 Which best characterizes the speaker? The speaker suffered more than his partner as a result of the relationship. The speaker is finally able to heal from his past relationship and embark on a new one. After breaking up with his ex-partner, the speaker maintains a facade of passivity that does not quite manage to conceal his bitterness. The speaker has read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." 7 What is true about the speaker's partner? She suffered more than the speaker did. She refers to Thomas Hardy's first wife. She left a devastating impression on the speaker as a result of the break-up. She has blue eyes. 8 Define "rove." (noun) a secret place in a forest (verb) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander (noun) a grouping of ash trees (verb) attempt to plant in starving sod 9 What could be another word for "ominous"? futuristic auspicious threatening lucky 10 In which season is the poem set? Winter Spring Summer Unspecified 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Optimism of Love The Facade of Neutrality The Persistence of Memories Love, Loss, and Disillusionment 12 What does God do to the white sun in the first stanza? chides conceals casts curses 13 What does God do to the white sun in the fourth stanza? chides hides curses celebrates 14 What does the starving sod represent? The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. The ground of the speaker's relationship to his ex is sterile, as is the speaker's capacity for new love. Humans don't know how to farm efficiently. The lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. 15 What does winter symbolize in the poem? Death, hibernation, and endings Cookies, Santa, and celebration Slowness, tidiness, and introspection Cycles, rest, and family 16 What is revealed in the first line? The setting and the facade of neutrality The ending of the relationship The speaker's angry bitterness The ex-lover's smile 17 Define "keen." (adjective) sharp and well-defined (noun) a heartfelt cry (adjective) disengenuous (adjective) neutral 18 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? AABB The poem does not rhyme ABCD ABBA 19 What is the rhyme scheme reminiscent of? The first octave of Petrarchan sonnets The poetry of Alfred Tennyson The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets None 20 What does the speaker compare his ex-partner's bitter grin to? An ominous bird taking flight A blackbird singing in a tree A raven arriving at one's doorstep A crow coming home to roost 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? Love is incorrect, unjust, and immoral. Love is cruel but it pays off. Love is capable of harm, but one must choose to risk one's heart. Love requires great sacrifice in order to receive its rewards. 22 What is polysyndeton? The bleak despair that demonstrates the speaker's outlook A literary device in which one word refers in part to another A kind of metaphor The purposeful repetition of conjunctions in close succession for emphasis 23 Which is not a symbol in the poem? Winter The ex-partner's smile The yellow sun The white sun 24 Which is NOT a simile in the poem? "And a grin of bitterness swept thereby / Like an ominous bird a-wing" "Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove / Over tedious riddles of years ago" "And the sun was white, as though chidden of God" "The change was like the knell" 25 Which best describes Hardy's religious views? Evangelical Christian Spiritualistic Agnostic, but complexly so Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God